Hey there Roblox Developers!
Have you ever wanted to add sound design to a large object like a waterfall, or ambient sounds to a big environment like a city? Today we are happy to introduce a brand new beta feature called Volumetric Sounds!
This feature is a change in the way sounds behave when childed to Block, Ball, and Cylinder Parts.
Previously, childing a sound to a part made it emit from a single point at the center of the part. This is no longer the case. Childing a sound to a Block, Ball, or Cylinder part now makes the sound emit from every point on the surface of the part, dynamically changing with its dimensions.
What does this mean exactly? Well, when you child a sound to a part, now the RollOffMinDistance and RollOffMaxDistance of the sound are measured from the surface of the part. When you’re inside the part, the sound will play all around the player just like music in headphones.
It’s one thing to read about the change, but it’s another to hear it for yourself! Check out this video demonstration. Headphones Strongly Recommended
When you exit the part the sound will gradually become more directional. Your perception of “how wide the sound is” will change depending on the size of the part and how close the listener is. Take a look at these images to get a better idea of how a Volumetric Sound will be perceived.
Here’s an example using an anchored non-collidable part the size of the city, and childed a looping ambiance sound to it.
Notice how Listener A is further from our city, giving them a more directional soundscape and narrower sonic field than Listener B. The smaller your part, the less pronounced this change will be.
We think you will be amazed at the opportunities this feature opens up for the soundscapes in your experience. Here are some cool potential use cases!!
- Create a waterfall sound that feels as large and powerful as you want!
- Attach the ambient sounds of your forest area to a giant Part to give them a location in your world.
- Attach the music for your concert experience to a huge part around the stage, to make the music fill the space.
Important Note: Currently this feature supports Block, Ball, and Cylinder Parts, all other Part Shapes, Meshes, and Models will be unchanged for now but are being worked on!
This feature is available for Opt-In Beta now!
If you would like to opt-in, open Roblox Studio and head to “File > Beta Features > Volumetric Sounds” and enable it!
Thanks so much to the great audio team who helped make Volumetric Sounds happen!
